Sixteen-year-old Charlotte Nicholas looks as if she’s about to take off and fly into the rafters of Riely Theatre, still playing her violin. She’s performing Saint-Saens’ Havanese and she’s really into it. There’s no doubt that she’s good. And as she nails a complicated run in the upper register, she lifts up onto her toes as if she might float away on the music.

Charlotte is the first violinist in Shipley’s Upper School string orchestra. She’s also a member of the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and first violinist in a string quartet that includes three other students from Lower Merion and Radnor High Schools. The group, Ivory Quartet, is one of 24 groups recently selected to participate in the highly competitive Fischoff Competition in South Bend, Indiana, in May. Quite an accomplishment for a group of high school juniors.

Charlotte is not your ordinary high school violinist. This is not your ordinary performance. In fact, it’s not really a performance at all. Though a small audience has gathered in Riely Theatre, Charlotte is really only playing for one person: David Kim, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s concertmaster since 1999. He’s here to give a master class.

Sue Hoaglund, Director of Shipley’s music program and strings groups, explains, “A master class is an opportunity for a student to work with a “master” – a person who has demonstrated great accomplishments on the instrument and who is a musician whom the student respects. It’s almost the old master/apprentice idea – you learn by watching and listening to someone who has mastered the instrument you play. Every master class I have played in or attended has been a true inspiration to me, both musically and pedagogically.”

Four of Charlotte’s peers (David Kimmel, Ridge Woods, Jenny Hu, and Nate Kuntz) in grades 7 through 11, will also play for David. It’s the third time he’s come to Shipley for a master class. “David is a gifted musician,” says Sue Hoaglund, “but he’s also an intuitive teacher. His ability to find one aspect of each student’s playing that can be improved in a small amount of time is extraordinary.”

When Charlotte finishes playing, David gets up from his seat and says, “You exceeded my expectations; I wouldn’t change a thing.” But, he goes on, “I feel like you’re a balloon on a windy day. You need to feel heavier, like a 500-pound man. I’d like to see a little more sense of repose. You need to be a little more tethered, more grounded.” She plays the piece again. “Yeah, that’s already different,” he says.

And he’s right. He does this with each student who plays for him. Paul Tierney, an Upper School physics teacher, comments, “Watching David is an inspirational experience for a teacher. His constructive criticism is never harsh, but he gets the important points across clearly to the student. His focus on motivation and bearing is another area from which I take some pointers. More than a master musician, I see him as a master teacher from whom we can all learn much of use in our classrooms.”

The excitement that David Kim brings to Shipley is mutual. “I really feel joy when working with kids at Shipley,” he says, “something that does not happen everywhere.”